Growing up Haruno
by Faircrown
Summary: Kizashi Haruno looks forward for a retired civilian life while his daughter, strive to grow up as a strong and powerful shinobi. AU. Inspired from Road to Sakura episode.
1. Chapter 1

Haruno

 **Chapter 1**

Kizashi Haruno was itching to return home. He distinctly remembers that he had left a kunai on top of the kitchen island in his haste to leave the house for a mission. His precious little one was too short to reach for it but knowing his daughter, he wouldn't be surprised to find out if she'd managed to climb on top of it to get her hands on the shiny steel. Sakura had always a fascination for his 'shinobi things' and had a terrifying magnetic pull for all things sharp and pointy.

He absentmindedly stabbed a kunai into a missing nin's throat and when he pulled it out, he stared at the blood coated steel. What if Sakura had nicked herself with it and bled? What would he do then? Mebuki would ambush him in the afterlife and kill him there. Oh, how he misses his wife. She had died an early death just after Sakura had turned two. Now, he was left alone as a single hopeless parent of a daughter who plans to make a career out of mischief making.

After securing his white mask, which had come loose while he was fighting, he moved towards his subordinate who had just finished sealing a bunch of severed heads into a scroll. A casual glance around the area told him that all the opponents had been taken care of.

"Are we done?" his teammate asked as he watched Kizashi pulled out a black book and crossed several names out. This hideout sure was a jackpot.

"Yes, let's move out."

Despite his calm order, he ran a large calloused hand over his peculiar dull pink hair. Seeing the hint of aggravation in Kizashi's stance, his teammate laughed.

"Left your daughter alone again, Captain?"

Kizashi had half the mind to scold his teammate for mentioning his private life on field. As an ANBU, personal matters should never be discussed while on duty for fear of identification. Kizashi was a humble man but he knew that his name had been recorded in various versions of the bingo book. He had enemies he knew and did not know of that would love to kill him and possibly target the people he cherishes. There had been zero attempts so far but he had promised Mebuki to never let any harm befall their only child. Besides, he hated to risk Sakura like that.

However, the only other person in the area was their other teammates who had come to regroup. He ignored his sparrow masked teammate's question and started to issue orders to them. The team of four had left the missing nin's hideout immediately. They didn't camp out for the night as they usually did and had travelled back to Konoha at full speed without rest. They were normally talkative but Kizashi's agitated chakra cloaks heavily around them. His subordinates glared at each other trying to figure out who had managed to piss off their captain, and a certain member inconspicuously tried to shrink away from their attention.

As they reached Konoha, they slowed down. They were extremely tired after the two days non-stop travel and felt instantly relieved upon seeing the familiar gates of Konoha. Kizashi, however, had immediately hopped onto the ninja highway forcing the others to follow suit. He could hear the audible groans and complaints but the faster he reported to the Hokage, the sooner he could go see his daughter. It was already midnight and the village was cloaked in darkness. Minato Namikaze would still be in the office working late to finish off the days' paperwork. And if their Hokage had returned home, Kizashi would have them debriefed in his house. He did not want to delay his meeting with Sakura or spend the following day having to do overdue work when he could spend the whole day with his most beautiful child. Kizashi is not shameful to admit that he misses his daughter too much that he felt sad from being separated for too long.

"Kizashi!" Minato exclaimed, surprised that the team had arrived a day earlier than expected. Sparrow had sent forward a notice a few days ago that they were returning but he didn't expect them to return so soon.

Even though he would much prefer to debrief the team later, since it was very late at night and he was just about to return home, he quickly wrapped their mission up. He received the scrolls containing the bounty heads, concluded their report and dismissed the others. Much to Kizashi's dismay, the blond haired Hokage requested that he stayed behind. Minato shuffled through some document unhurriedly. Behind his mask, Kizashi stared impatiently at Minato and considered bolting before he finally speaks.

"Sakura is fine. I had one of Naruto's babysitter take care of her while you were gone."

The Namikaze Hokage was a close friend of his despite being several years younger. They had even competed for the title of the fourth Hokage but unfortunately, Kizashi wasn't the most favorable candidate. Nevertheless, he was happy and supportive of his friend. Minato was fond of his daughter he knew and he was grateful that Minato had somehow taken care of Sakura while he was gone. Still, Kizashi misses his daughter terribly. Minato sighed watching his friend and subordinate stand restlessly while waiting for him to speak.

"There was a situation that I needed you to look into. I know you are still tired from your travel and I will let you rest soon, but you will need to leave for Kirigakure tomorrow."

Kizashi was about to argue but Minato held up his hand and continued, "This is a follow up mission of your previous one, the one involving the Daimyo. It is very time sensitive."

Kizashi clenched his jaw. He relied severely on the mask to hide his facial expression. Minato was a good friend but he was also the leader of the village, one that Kizashi respected and dutifully obeyed. However, it was times like this he wished he had adopted a civilian life instead of pursuing this clandestine career. He would make a perfectly boring civilian and a wonderful father. But as a shinobi, he was loyal, fearsome and deadly.

Minato sighed heavily. While there were many high performers like Kizashi Haruno, there weren't that many that was as talented. Minato knew that Kizashi had been planning to spend the week off with his daughter but very rarely do ANBU get to stay off duty for that long. He was sure that very soon, he would receive a resignation letter on his table. In fact, he had been exhausting the Haruno before he finally did resign. His talent was rare and incredibly useful for sensitive missions. Minato could only see a great loss for the Konoha shinobi force once Kizashi retires to a civilian life. But at the same time, he respected Kizashi's wish to spend time with his daughter, the only family he had left. Thinking about his own son, Minato could only wish that he could sacrifice as much for his family. But he knew that they were very much loved and cared for.

"It will be a solo mission," Minato continued, "I expect it will take up a week at most."

Whatever the pink haired man was thinking, he simply ended it with a curt nod. Minato really hated having to do this but he had no other choice. The Daimyo had refused to have anyone else execute this mission and if he was declined, Konoha would be greatly affected politically and financially. The Fire Daimyo had threatened to withdraw their funding and political assistance so it was very fitting to say that Konoha's fate rested on Kizashi's performance. He handed the mission scroll and finally allowed the man to return home.

Kizashi was already half way out of the door when Minato called out his name.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Have a great day with Sakura."

"Thank you… Minato-sama."

Kizashi left the office faster than the eye could see. He leaped through the rooftops with ease and noted that it was still well before dawn. The villagers were still fast asleep and embraced with the cool embrace of the night. The sky was filled with little specks of light and had he not been in a rush, he would've spent some time admiring them. Night time in Konoha was peaceful. He reached the housing district and recognized the roof to his house immediately. It was a small and humble home for the two of them. Not even bothering to use the door, he entered his house through his bedroom window. He could feel the small peaceful chakra in the next room and felt his heart expand greatly at the familiar comforting presence. It felt like a chunk of weight was lifted from his shoulders. He was finally home.

He quickly removed his mask, went for a thorough but quick shower and traded his spoiled clothes with new fresh ones. He never greets Sakura nor let her see any of his ANBU uniform. It was just to keep up with the rules and secrecy. ANBU always kept their identity hidden for safety reasons. And it was a part of his life that he was not willing to let young Sakura know about. There was something about politics, gore and blood that he wished to shield Sakura from despite knowing that one day, she would be exposed to it. He never intends to lead her to a civilian life but he also couldn't imagine his daughter leading the same life. Certainly, he was very proud of being a shinobi especially considering his civilian background but… he sighed. He didn't quite know what to feel about it. He simply pushed the thought away and figured he could deal with it later. For now, he just wanted to spend his limited time with his daughter.

He gently pushed the door to Sakura's bedroom and went inside. There was soft small lump at the centre of a large queen-sized bed. He smiled as he gazed at the face of a small pink haired child, breathing softly as she sleeps. He missed her round cherubic face, how she seems to smile while she dreams. He missed her large green eyes, closed for now and no doubt excited to witness the adventure of tomorrow. He missed her especially, when she would call his name. He sat on her bed and pushed away strands of hair from her face and lightly pinched her cheeks as to not wake her up.

"I missed you so much, blossom." Kizashi whispered and kissed her forehead.

Feeling suddenly tired, he yawned and gently laid down next to his daughter, careful not to wake her up. Finally, the toll of the intense travel was felt on his body. He was surprised he didn't collapse on the floor upon returning home. Shifting the blankets so that it would cover them both, he closed his eyes and his breathing fell into rhythm with Sakura.

He couldn't wait to spend the day with Sakura tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Haruno

 **Chapter 2**

Kizashi watched fondly as Sakura twirled in front of the mirror, seemingly satisfied with the green dress he had picked out for her. It was a modern kimono with elaborated gold design and pink butterflies printed on them. She giggled and twirled one final time before running back into her father's arms.

"Do I look pretty, daddy?"

"Pretty?" Kizashi crouched and stared incredulously at her, "You look like a princess!"

Sakura covered her mouth to hide her giggles only to burst into a huge laughter when Kizashi made googly eyes at her. He lifted her up and addressed the shopkeeper that they were choosing this dress. Sakura had promptly insisted that she wear the dress immediately for the whole day to which Kizashi agreed on. His little Sakura looked adorable! Once he had paid for the dress, they went out of the shop and walked leisurely down the street.

Kizashi smiled at how perfect the day was going. The day had started with him nearly getting a heart attack when Sakura jumped on him and exclaiming loudly that he was finally home. He was quick to recover and started jumping along with Sakura on the bed excitedly. They only stopped when the babysitter rushed upstairs thinking that Sakura was being attacked what with all the commotion they were creating. It had been an embarrassing moment being caught acting like a little girl but Kizashi really couldn't help it. He was just so excited to be home! So he simply ignored the snickering old lady and focused on Sakura.

Once the babysitter was dismissed, they quickly decided to go out for breakfast and to enjoy the sun. After a nice traditional Japanese breakfast, they went shopping for new clothes. Kizashi planned to spoil Sakura for the day and had bought her more clothes than she would need for a year. He had even bought a doll for Sakura though she was more interested in dragging him to the bookstore, taking advantage of his good mood.

"Are you really going to read all of this?" Kizashi asked, staring worriedly at the mountain of books Sakura had just selected. The choice ranged from colouring princess books to heavy encyclopaedias.

"How old are you again?"

"I'm four!" she giggled.

"I thought you had just turned two!" Kizashi gasped loudly as cupped his face in shock making Sakura laugh even more at his exaggeration.

"Would you like to have our runner send this to your home? It'll cost just a few ryo more."

Kizashi turned back to the teenager manning the counter and grinned. "That's alright, thank you."

Sakura stared in awe when a copy of her father popped out of nowhere, kissed her cheeks and carried all of their purchases home in a puff of smoke.

"When can I do that?"

"Once you get into the academy," Kizashi grinned. He really liked showing off to her. She was impressed and highly responsive when he did some of his cool ninja tricks.

"Awesome! I can't wait to be a ninja! That's next year, right?"

His grin suddenly faltered. While most kids start the academy at the age of seven, the academy had already enrolled her for next year. It was unheard of for kids from a civilian family to be listed automatically but considering his achievements and rare talent, it wasn't a surprise that her name was thrown into the system. They were hoping that his offspring inherited his abilities and would soon contribute to the village. She was already proving to be intellectually capable for training as proven by the entrance test she took several months ago. While Kizashi wasn't opposed to her starting the academy earlier than most, he was worried about her future and its consequences. Her education was important to him but he wasn't sure if it was what the others really cared about.

Although the village had recovered from the previous war, there was still tension that was threatening Konoha's foundations. Forces within Konoha was agitated and kept fighting with each other to overpower the other to control the village. Not everyone was satisfied with the current leadership and there were too much internal politics that was slowly growing violent as time pass. They were no longer pumping out child soldiers since the war but it was getting obvious that the village was desperately trying to produce more ninjas to replace the strength that had been lost during the war. All of the countries and hidden villages had been weak and are now recuperating but it is a mistake to think that peace was permanent. They had called it the last Great Shinobi War but Kizashi had started to call it the Third Shinobi War in anticipation for the next one. He wanted to pretend that it was going to be okay, that the bed of roses he built for Sakura would not reveal to be filled with thorns.

He looked at Sakura almost sadly. He did not know how much of him she had inherited, but he does know that his past was one that she will. The best he could do is to prepare her for it.

"Promise me that you'll be a good girl," he said as he stroked her soft pink locks.

"I always read all the books I buy," she pouted, thinking that her father was accusing her of being wasteful.

"I know, blossom," he smiled softly. "You'll be a great kunoichi. Smart and hardworking, nothing beats that."

"Hehe, okay daddy."

Kizashi squeezed her in a hug much to her delight. Sakura was a bright young girl and he was happy that he could indulge her for the day. He hoped that the books would occupy her for the week when he goes away.

He made a mental note to start writing his resignation letter so that he could drop it off as soon as the mission was done. Whether or not he would remain as a shinobi would be up to how Minato begged him to stay but one thing for certain, he was done with being a member of the black ops. Very rarely does he get to return home and when he does, it was only for three days at most. He was lucky Sakura even remembers him considering his constant absence.

"When will you be leaving?"

He tried not to cry from that question. Kizashi may seem very good with his emotions but he was actually as sensitive as a middle-aged lady watching soap operas.

Sakura was already staring at him, once again hopeful that his stay would extend longer than it did the last time. She hadn't even get to say goodbye! She woke up too late and her father was already gone. Sakura had only cried for a few hours before falling asleep. That was how the babysitter had found her; hugging herself small in front of the doorstep.

"Tonight," Kizashi said. He saw her bottom lips quivered and quickly embraced her once again. "I won't be long, sweetheart."

"You said that the last time and then left for months," she started to sniffle. "And then you leave without even saying goodbye…"

Kizashi started to panic when her eyes started to pool with tears. He looked left and right as if something or someone could help him but the cashier who had been watching them for the lack of better things to do simply raised his hands and shrugged, clearly letting Kizashi know that he was on his own. Kizashi felt almost betrayed. He was this bookstore's regular customer; some help would be nice!

"I miss you, daddy. Please don't leave," Sakura started to earnestly cry. Her face got wet so fast that even her nose watered and turned red.

"No no no, don't cry," he waved his arms around frantically, "Shhh shhh!"

Kizashi was a father, but sometimes, he forgot how to act like one. He didn't know what to do with a crying child. Sakura herself never really cried when he was around mainly because they always spent their time doing fun things and laughing. He has dealt with the worse of her tantrums but never was he challenged with a very upset and crying Sakura. There used to be Mebuki to handle with this and now it was his turn.

"Sakura, baby, shhhh…" If he was being honest, he also felt like crying along with her.

He was surprised when she threw herself into him and bawled her eyes out. It was at that moment that he realized… his daughter has really _missed_ him. He stared down at the mop of pink hair and the small hands clinging onto his yukata. Sakura was such a delicate child and her heart was the most beautiful and gentle thing in the world. She was stubborn, most certainly. But she was the most precious thing he had ever been blessed with, and she misses her father.

"Blossom," he gently said and tried to pry her from him, "Listen to me, please."

Sobbing, she slowly lifted her head and stared at him with large green eyes that he adores so much.

"I will never leave you. I love you too much," he said as he wiped her face with his hands. "I have some work to do and when I'm done with this one, I'll come home."

"Weally?" She asked.

"I promise. It won't even take long," he chuckled. "And I like coming home to you. I miss you!"

"How long will you stay next time?" She had ceased her crying and was slowly calming down.

"Well, I'm going to start working in the village. So, I guess you can say that I won't be going anywhere for a long time."

Sakura gasped and stared at her father with wide eyes. "No mow twavelling wrok?!"

Kizashi laughed and then pulled out a handkerchief for her to blow in. Her nose was blocked and she was beginning to make funny noises.

"No more travelling," Kizashi promised. Sakura had always called his ANBU work 'travelling' because it always involved him being outside of the village for a long period of time. While she didn't know what it was that he does as a shinobi but she knows that it was always in different countries. She was always interested in his work and no doubt would ask more about it when they have the time. He was excited to tell her too about the wonders of his time during ANBU (the times without lying, stealing and killing) and he was sure she would be just as amazed as he was about the things he learnt and discovered (that wasn't a village's secret, sensitive and disturbing. Strictly G-rated).

"I can't wait!"

Kizashi laughed, glad that his daughter was her usual self again. They walked out of the store with Sakura blabbering about two weeks worth of things that happened to her when he was gone. He listened attentively and reacted positively to her tales. The day was spent with nice treats and good father daughter time.

A week later, Minato sighed dejectedly as unfurled a scroll with a formal request for resignation. He called for a messenger and requested him to relay the message to Kushina that they would be having a guest tomorrow for dinner and to make sure she spare no expenses in her cooking. Kizashi can quit the ANBU, but he _can't_ quit being a Jounin.

Minato especially thinks that he would be excellent at running the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

Haruno

 **Chapter 3**

Boss Naruto Namikaze was waiting for his right-hand man on the swing. They were planning something shocking, something amazing, and something _big._ The whole village would surely be mighty impressed with their admirable feat and would soon crown him the title Hokage. And then, he was going to remove all those old wrinkly people from the council and replace them with cute, smart people. People like Sakura-chan.

And of course, his dad will work for him and mom can serve him ramen every day. They would be honoured.

He grinned to himself already seeing everything folding out in front of his bright blue eyes. He heard the huff and puff of someone running towards him while shouting his name and turned to see them.

"Did you get everything?" He asked and jumped off the swing set and rushed to meet his right hand man halfway. Finally she has arrived. He was beginning to think that she was about to chicken out!

"Yup, yellow, peach and pink and everything else!" She exclaimed.

"Eh, where's the brown paint?"

"I asked but then I didn't have enough money so I just got these."

Naruto smacked himself in the forehead. His trusty right hand man can be such a goody two shoes at times.

"You should just tell them that the soon-to-be Fifth Hokage needs it. They'll give it for free, believe it!"

"That's so stupid, Naruto!" She exclaimed and he pouted.

Sakura-chan was cute and all but sometimes she didn't quite understand that he was Boss Naruto. But it's okay. Since she looks cute and knows awesome chakra stuff, he lets it slide. It wasn't actually a good idea anyway but he thought no one could resist Sakura because she was cute so she should've tried. By the way, did he tell her that she looks _cute_ today?

"Now, come on! Are we doing this or not?" Sakura yelled and threw him two cans of paint, a rope and some brushes. They were heavy and since he had been doing nothing he should carry more than her.

"Alright, let's go! Remember our plan, Sakura-chan. I'll use the rope and you use that Sticky Feet no Jutsu to climb up the Hokage monument. And then, we'll –"

"I already know! Come one, recess is about to start. We don't have time before Iruka-sensei catch us!"

He cackled and set off with Sakura right beside him.

It's going to be a blast!

* * *

Minato Namikaze stared at the two paint drenched kids in front of his desk with a frown. Both of them had their head bowed to their laps and their hands claps to their front guiltily. His son, Naruto, still had the rope tied around his midsection while Sakura was slightly swaying due to chakra exhaustion. He had ordered one of his men to get chairs for both of them so Sakura could sit down and for Naruto to stop shuffling on his feet.

The door opened and a tall man with dull pink hair entered. He went straight to Sakura and placed his large hands upon her forehead and abdomen. Kizashi prodded her system with chakra to make sure that none of her chakra coils were burnt before they even get to develop. He nodded and took a glance at Naruto. He knew the kid was alright immediately. Once when he was satisfied, he proceeded to bow respectfully to his Hokage.

"Hokage-sama," he greeted.

"Kizashi, I suppose you've heard about today's… event," Minato winced. It was usually easy to reprimand the kids and laugh with Kizashi about their mayhem of the day but a member of the council was present and all formalities were to put on the display.

"Aa, I have."

He noticed Sakura sunk deeper into her chair and he inwardly frowned. When he had went out today to do some grocery shopping, he didn't expect to meet the sight of brightly painted faces of a whiskered blonde and a pink haired on the Hokage Monument overseeing the village with their tongues sticking out, right next to the engraved face of the Fourth.

The streets were loud with talks and his head turned to follow the loud commotion that was happening overhead. Shinobi were leaping from roof to roof in an attempt to subdue a small escaping kid – Naruto he presumed, judging from the blur of yellow and the _"I am the next Hokage, believe it!"_ declaration.

He didn't need to hear the people talking about the only pink haired kid in the village being involved as well, as if the painting wasn't large and telling enough, so he quickly continued with his task before returning home to drop off his load. Then he rushed here, thinking that enough time had passed and surely the authoritative figures had managed to catch the culprits by now. Indeed he was right.

The youngest Hokage in history sighed heavily, looking like he had aged ten years in the span of this morning.

"I apologize on behalf of my son for dragging your daughter into one of his schemes."

Kizashi shook his head and said, "That is not necessary. I'm sure Sakura had an equal part in this as well."

A loud throat clearing was then heard and an old man stepped out. He had grey hair and beard with a strict creased face. He was cloaked with austerity that even Naruto sat up a little straighter.

"I believe a punishment is in order. These two had disrupted the village and committed vandalism. It is highly an atrocious act," Homura Mitokado announced.

"I assure you, Homura-san, that I have everything under my control. Your presence is not required here," Minato said tensely. He never really liked the councilman. His partner, Koharu Utatane, was absent but he had no doubt that she would be delighted to be here. They are both too overbearing and are constantly breathing down his neck. Highly atrocious? This was only a prank!

"I don't believe so, Minato. Your son has gotten away from the trouble he had caused plenty of times. Consequently, he had managed to involve even Sakura Haruno into his agenda," Homura shot a glance at Naruto and Sakura with a displeased expression on his face. "Who knows what else they've been doing under the radar."

"They mean no harm, Homura-sama. They are only children," Kizashi interjected.

The elder man turned his attention to him and said, "I'm sure. But still, such a waste of talent. Your daughter –"

"Will finish her academy years," Kizashi swiftly interposed and turned towards the blonde Hokage, "Minato-sama, Sakura will arrive at six in the morning tomorrow to clean up the mess she had made. I will personally be watching her."

Homura pursed his lips and frowned. He watched the two younger men before him promptly discuss the penalty that was to be carried out. Expectedly, they were to clean up the Hokage Monument.

"I'm sure Homura-san agrees to this?" Minato turned to him with an expectant gaze.

Homura had wanted to reap benefices from the trouble these two powerful children had caused but their parents were both treading carefully and stopping him before he could suggest anything else. Despite the chaos they had created today, it wasn't enough to warrant anything that he wanted to veto. The absence of his bull-headed partner was also pulling him slightly down. Reluctantly, he retreated and said,

"It is adequate."

"Good! Then if you can excuse us, Homura-san. We have a few things to discuss."

Knowing a dismissal when he saw one, the old man stiffly nodded and left the room with a vow that one day, he would get the Haruno child to serve the village as soon as possible and for that Namikaze boy to be completely contained.

Both Minato and Kizashi sighed when the door finally clicked shut. Naruto, who seemed to feel that the situation was cleared for him to talk without getting into additional trouble, quickly leaped up from his seat and swing his arms frantically in the air screaming,

"It's not Sakura-chan's fault! This is all my brilliant idea, I swear!"

"No, it's not! I came up with most of the idea!" Sakura exclaimed albeit tiredly. Her eyes blinked away the sleepiness so that she could scold Naruto for trying to take the credit all by himself.

"Shh, Sakura-chan. Let the future Hokage handle this," he waved his hand dismissively only to give a loud yelp when a fist bonked his head.

"Stop being so senseless!"

Both the adults in the room shook their heads at their children's antics. Alone, the six year olds were mischief makers, but together they make quite a loud, terrifying, devious duo. The Hokage swore that already, he had received a few resignation letters on his desk thanks to the mayhem these two caused today.

"Naruto, enough! Sakura-chan, please sit back down," Minato ordered.

The two children stilled, scrambled to their chairs and drop their heads back down. It wasn't always that the blonde-haired man uses his 'Hokage' voice. Naruto especially knew that he had lost the privilege of eating ramen for at least a month.

"You will both be cleaning the paintings by yourselves. I want it spotless by this week."

"But dad!" Naruto whined.

"You made it, you undo it. That's final," he heaved a sigh for the umpteenth times today and said, "I am disappointed in you, Naruto. And Sakura, shouldn't you know better?"

Sakura whimpered. If Minato-sama was upset, then she couldn't imagine her daddy's reaction. She timidly glanced towards him and sure enough, he was silently staring at her. He didn't even said anything punny (funny + pun) like he usually does whenever she did something like this. Although she had to admit, maybe they'd gone too far this time.

"I'm sorry, Minato-sama, daddy," Sakura said quietly, eyes brimming with tears.

"Well, I'm not! I'm going to have my face there one day so you just better get used to it!"

"Naruto!" Minato warned but Kizashi interrupted and said,

"The only honourable way to earn the title Hokage is by respect and hard work. Did you think you did both of that today, Naruto-kun?"

"Psh-yeah! No one ever did what I did today and Sakura-chan even stuck to the walls long enough to help me do all that! They should _respect_ us for the _hard_ _work_ that we did!"

"Hm… Maybe. But you also ruined the village's landmark by painting all over it. And had men chasing both of you all over the village when they could've spent the time strengthening Konoha's walls," he continued on despite the sullen look that was beginning to wash over the children's face, "The trouble you have caused today not only made a lot of mess, but also put the village at harm."

"Now I could've stopped you but I'm not as young as I was. My joint hurts and are a little bit creaky and I have back pains. I sure don't need a spine though, it's holding me _back,_ " he chuckled and when he looked at the others, he found that he was laughing all by himself.

"Ne, Sakura-chan. What's a spine?" Naruto whispered to his friend.

He cleared his throat when he saw Minato covered his face with one hand in exasperation. "Well, what I mean is you were both irresponsible and should learn a lesson."

At this, Minato nodded agreeing and supplied, "Therefore, you will both clean up the monument in addition to having remedial discipline classes in the academy for a week."

Naruto sputtered while Sakura nodded solemnly, accepting her punishment. She should've seen this coming. She knew that they were going to get into trouble but had only expected to be caught by Iruka-sensei. He is a very kind shinobi and he adored Sakura too much to actually punish her severely. Once, she didn't return her library books and he only chastised her lightly. But she kind of saw it coming that they were going to get into bigger trouble this time. Vandalism is an actual crime!

"Naruto, you will begin your cleaning part today while Sakura-chan will continue tomorrow due to her state," Minato addressed Naruto before turning to Sakura. "I suggest you return home and get enough rest, Sakura-chan. I'm sure you learnt your own lesson about chakra manipulation today."

The young girl was struggling from falling asleep, a sure result of chakra exhaustion. Although it wasn't severe but for a child with below average chakra storage, it was quite dangerous. If the medic beforehand hadn't told him that she was fine, he would've had her submitted into the hospital. Besides, Kizashi hadn't lost his head about Sakura's physical situation so he was assured that Sakura could hold on for a couple more minutes. If he didn't trust the hospital's medic, then he could trust Kizashi.

He stared at the young girl with concealed amazement. She was only six years old but her chakra manipulation abilities could rival a genin. She was evidently smarter than her peers and probably those a few years above her and the chakra control talent of her father was clearly passed on. No wonder the councilmen were eager to get their hands on her. Minato was lucky that he managed to have the teachers agree that she needed more time in the academy. She had started too young and her body still needed to develop and that was a good enough reason to prevent her from graduating too early. There was only so much he could do to protect her alongside Kizashi but he would do his best. He knew that the Haruno father would also do the same for his own son, Naruto. That little troublemaker.

"That is all. Sorry to bother you like this, Kizashi."

Kizashi just laughed and said, "No, no. It's partly my fault as well. These kids are tough aren't they?"

"Yeah," Minato smiled. "Alright, if that is all. You are –"

"Dismissed…" Sakura exclaimed tiredly, her arm limply lifted up to the air while she stifled a yawn.

All of the three males laughed. Kizashi picked her up gently and with a nod to Minato, left the room to head back home.

The sky was bleeding pink and orange signalling that night time was about to arrive. He walked at a languid pace, enjoying the breeze and the soft rise and fall of his daughter's chest against him.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Are you disappointed in me?"

Kizashi instead asked her, "How far did you climb with your chakra?"

"Started from the bottom and ended up at the top," she said proudly. "Well, from the bottom of the top stairs actually," she admitted sheepishly and then gave a big loud yawn.

Kizashi chuckled at her confession. The Monument was far too high for her to climb even with chakra and he knew she was able to paint on the bare section of the mountain next to engraved faces by scaling the walls. It was considerably a shorter trip from the stairs that stopped at the base of the rock faces rather than climbing from all the way down. He was glad that she knew her limit. It didn't make him worry less though.

"Very good," he complimented and then said, "But try to be more careful next time alright? Chakra exhaustion is dangerous and could result to death."

"I know, that's why I ran on the ground instead of jumping on the roofs," her next sentence were muffled by his shoulder in which she had rested on but he could still understand her, "I can't run on the rooftops yet, like Naruto."

"You will soon," Kizashi assured her.

Unlike Naruto, Sakura hadn't spent half of her life escaping angry caretakers and finding unconventional methods of escaping. Naruto may not yet know how to use his chakra but his mind map of the village were more elaborated than Sakura's. Somehow, he had a feeling that that wouldn't be the case soon, seeing how their friendship was progressing fast and how they were already attached at the hips. It hadn't been more than a few months that the children had finally made acquaintances despite their parents' relationship and already, they were making a name for themselves as the mischief couple.

Jealousy brewed inside Kizashi's stomach. He hoped that Naruto won't be placed at a higher priority than himself in Sakura's book. He knew how to have fun too.

"Say, Sakura-chan. Want to train tomorrow after you're finished with your cleaning?"

Sakura was already snoring but he already knew the answer. She was his daughter after all. He smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Haruno

 **Chapter 4**

Ten minutes had passed when Sakura finally stopped crying and slowed down into silent sobs. She wiped the tears and snot from her face with her sleeves and then stared forlornly at her scraped palms and knees. She was several meters into Konoha's outskirts and had no means to tend to her injuries. She wished she had her father's medical chakra so she could heal herself. She could use chakra like her dad but she couldn't do awesome ninjutsu with them. All she could do with hers were stick to walls and trees. If only she wasn't so weak…

Sakura rubbed her eyes and yawned. She was tired from all the running. The kids had chased her all over the village, making fun of her hair and forehead. Sakura would usually stand up to them but without Naruto, it hadn't been easy. He was away with his parents on some business trip to Suna. As a result, they had pushed her until she had fallen on her hands and knees. It had hurt a lot but she didn't dare tell them fearing that it would only fuel them on. When they reached out to start grabbing her hair, she ran with them hot on her heels shouting words that felt cruel to her ears.

Sakura didn't understand why they hated her so much. When Naruto was around, they wouldn't bother her and would sometimes treat her politely albeit distantly. But when her blonde friend was absent, it became extremely clear and voiced that they didn't like her. They called her ugly, weird and a know-it-all. Naruto told her that they were just jealous because they weren't unique and were threatened by her intelligence. Still, she didn't think it was necessary to hurt her so much because of it.

Sakura had no other friend other than the Namikaze family and her dad. She was pretty much ignored by her peers at the academy. On her first day, the very first thing she noticed was that she was significantly smaller than everyone else. Later, she learnt that she was the youngest in her year and class and that everyone was older by at least two years. That probably didn't mean anything but after a while, someone got jealous when all the teachers paid more attention to her.

She was always alone. No one wanted to sit with her or talk to her and during physical training, she was always the last one left without a partner. She doesn't mind pairing up with the teacher or practicing alone but it does feel awkward and lonely when it happens every sparring exercises.

Sakura frowned and gathered her legs up to her chest. She wanted to be friends with the other kids because she felt alone playing by herself. She was never bored to tears when she was with Naruto but sometimes she just wanted more friends. She had no friends in the academy and she was glad Naruto sneak in to play with her whenever he has the chance. Still, when she saw others playing in groups, she wondered why she had only one friend. And even when she had played with some of Naruto's friends, it hadn't been the same. She felt like an outsider because they rarely played together. She could count with one hand the amount of times that they had.

Was she the problem? Is pink really a freak colouring? She brushed the bangs away from her face and with her thumb and pointer finger, measured the size of her forehead. She then pulled her fingers in front of her face and stared at the distance between the two digits. Maybe they were right, it really was large. Her fully stretched fingers confirmed that for her. She sighed sadly and dropped her head to her knees.

She remembered one girl, a loud confident pretty blonde with clear blue eyes. Ino Yamanaka was her name. She was just like Naruto and had a lot of friends. She was well liked and it was proven by the large circle of people always surrounding her. Sakura had played with her once, when Naruto had dragged her to the field after school.

She thought that Ino was nice. She had given tips to Sakura about flower arrangements for her kunoichi classes even though she herself hadn't started the academy. But that was it, she never interacted with Ino after that because there was no other opportunity. She saw her today at the park but the girl was so far away that Sakura couldn't talk to her. And she didn't know if she would have the courage to if Ino was near either. If only she was like Ino… then maybe she wouldn't be like this.

The rush of wind blew past her and she shivered. Glancing around, she was reminded that she was in the forest just outside of Konoha. She had always seen the large main gates and passed by it several times but she had never dared to step out of it. The gate was always guarded and most ninja leave this way for missions. There are always stories of people who leave never to come back. She understood that those are people who had fallen or had served the village well, as her father had said. But he had also told her that it was dangerous out here. Sakura easily gets scared especially when he tells stories about the crooked monsters and evil men outside the village. She remembered him telling stories about the forest of death just outside the village somewhere and prayed fervently that this wasn't the same forest.

In a sudden flash of movement, a hooded figure suddenly appeared in front of her face. She screamed in alarm and scrambled backwards into the rough tree bark that she had leaned on. She saw a hand outstretched as if to grab her and in a moment of bravery, slapped it away and stood up. She dodged to the left and ran but forgot that she was tired and had been sitting for a long time. Her legs were jelly and she tripped over herself. Sakura winced when the ground scratched her soft skin.

She panicked when she felt a pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her up. When her feet met the ground, she quickly tried to bolt again. She was scared that the hooded person will catch her and was willing to ignore the pain on her hands and knees. They were covered in black and the large hood was casting a shadow over their masked face; an embodiment of the ghost in the scary stories her dad had told her.

Before she could even manage a few steps, she felt a strong tug on the back of her shirt effectively stopping her from escaping.

"Maa, so fast."

It was a man, a very scary man. She could tell from his deep intimidating voice and the strength in his hold. She felt him turn her around and when she saw his arm, she immediately did what was instinctual to her – she bit him hard. Sakura knew her teeth were made of titanium. She brushes them every day and eat a lot of healthy food so they were pearly white and strong. She bit a boy who had teased her once (copying Naruto who did it to her other bully) and he had cried. That was why she was surprised when her mouth hurt when she buried her teeth into his arm. She yelped and jumped back while covering her aching mouth. Renewed tears sprung into her eyes.

"Ah, you probably shouldn't do that. Metal guards," he lifted his arm and tapped it, "See?"

There were many ways that she could escape this scary man as was taught in the academy but he was bigger and faster than her. He was probably armed too. Realizing a little too late that she shouldn't have passed the main gates and remained within the safe walls of the village, she stared wide-eyed at him.

He suddenly chuckled.

"You're Sakura-chan, aren't you?"

Sakura froze, part scared and part curious. How did he know her name? The man then pulled his hood down to reveal an animal styled porcelain mask with messy white hair. She blinked.

"I'm your father's… friend," he told her.

And all of a sudden, the dark cloaked ghost wasn't so scary anymore. She stared at him curiously and saw that he was wearing a black uniform beneath his traveling cloak. She thought it looked familiar and remembered that she'd seen people like him guarding the Hokage's mansion when she and her father had gone for a visit. She had also seen them before in the Hokage's office. She thought it was odd that one of them was away from the Hokage.

"Why aren't you guarding the Hokage's tower?"

"That's not my job."

"Then what do you do?"

"Well, I am an ANBU… so I go on missions," he hummed.

"Oooooh," she broke out into a wide smile and excitedly asked, "What kinds of mission? Was it far? Did you save a princess and kill the dragon?"

The masked man stared at the brightly coloured kid. He didn't save a princess and he didn't kill a dragon but he certainly got his hands dirty today, as he always did when he goes out on assassinations. But he thought it was better to leave that unsaid. He knew who this girl's father was.

"What are you doing out here?"

She suddenly stopped smiling and dropped her head to stare at her small feet. She didn't answer him and just stood there, making things awkward for him.

"Ah, do you want to go back in?"

She nodded and began to follow him when he stood up. However, her steps quickly faltered when she felt pain lanced through her entire being. The countless nasty falls she experienced today were beginning to tax her small body and she let out a whimper. The ANBU seemed to notice and stopped in his track. Seeing her trembling form, he sighed and knelt down, giving his back towards her. He never meant to ignore her state but he figured if this child was anything like her strong-minded father, then those little injuries shouldn't keep her.

He had heard of her before. Never personally met the young Haruno but her name did circulate amongst the members. Her relation to the recently former Captain of ANBU probably attributed to that in addition to his overly protective display. There were also talks about her talent with academics and chakra. She didn't look like much; no muscles, fast enough for a kid but extremely slow reflexes and ridiculously small. And not to mention her blinding colour. Unlike her, her father was more darkened and his dull pink hair could adjust with the shadows. This girl however looked like a neon target practice. He wondered why some of the council members wanted her so much. It was already decided that Kizashi did not have a kekkai genkai that could be passed on.

Well, at least she looked cute. If cute meant being a little girl.

He waited for her to climb on his back but was surprised when she instead went to his side and grabbed his hand.

"Won't your hand hurt?" He asked.

She shook her head and gave a tentative smile. "Not this one. It's only a little scratch."

He shrugged and stood up. Then, as an afterthought, pulled the little girl until she was settled in an awkward hold in his arms. When the girl struggled and told him to put her down because she could walk on her own and she was fine, he merely shrugged and said,

"You're slow."

She puffed her cheeks as she fumed and he ignored her, walking at a moderate pace towards the village. After a few minutes, the girl stopped struggling and began to babble about squirrels, trees and princesses. The ANBU nodded mindlessly, his hand itching to reach into his pouch for his favourite reading material but restrained himself because the girl was now gesturing wildly with her hands. If she slips from his arms it was going to be a long fall.

When the tall imposing gates finally came into view, he knew he had made a right decision because there, waiting at the main gates with his arms crossed and eyes glaring in all his mother hen-like glory, stood Kizashi Haruno.

"Daddy!" The girl in his arms cried excitedly oblivious to the red anger radiating from him and the presence of the two blondes behind him. The ANBU thought it was too late to go back and just leave the girl where he found her and pretended he never saw a pink haired child.

Oh well.

However, when they were only a few metres apart, Kizashi's bubbling anger seemed to deflate rapidly from the sight of his daughter.

"Sakura!"

"There, I told you she went this way!" One of the blonde exclaimed pointing towards them.

They were already at the main gates when Kizashi approached them and took the little pink haired girl from the ANBU. As expected, the Haruno man immediately caught sight of the bleeding hands and knees. Without wasting time, he knelt until he was to his daughter's height and began healing the wounds, all the while shooting a thousand questions per second. Sakura didn't answer him but instead stared at the pretty blonde curiously.

"Ino-san?"

"Hey! Are you alright? Sorry, I couldn't keep up. You were running so fast!"

"Huh?" Sakura tilted her head to the side, not understanding the situation.

"I saw you getting chased by those stupid kids so I tried to help but you were too far away then. So I went to get your dad. But I didn't know where he was or what he looked like so I asked my dad's help," she pointed towards a tall long haired blonde man who was talking to the gate guards, "Then I told them I saw you running this way."

She then edged closer to Sakura and whispered, "By the way, did you know that your dad's hair looks like the flower like your name? Is that why he calls you Sakura?"

Sakura then turned to her dad who was now muttering something about stupid guards and stupid village border control.

"How did you get out, anyway?" Ino then asked.

Sakura shrugged and said, "I just did."

"That's weird. You need clearance to get out of the village. Did you have a pass?"

Sakura shook her head and said, "No."

Ino then hummed and stared at her curiously with her pretty blue eyes. When her father suddenly cupped her face with his large clammy hands, she turned her attention to him.

"Sakura, what did I say about leaving the village?"

"That I should never leave the village?"

"Exactly. Then why didn't you listen to me?"

"It's not my fault…" she muttered and looked down.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were…?" He didn't finish the question, immensely hurt from the fact that he was unaware that his precious daughter was having trouble with her peers. Ino had told him all about the bullies. He didn't understand why, she was such an angel.

"I always hear people making fun of her because of her hair and forehead so I keep telling them to stop but they don't listen. Sakura never gets bullied much when Naruto is around though. But he's not around today and yesterday too so they all got really brave," Ino supplied.

Kizashi frowned but then gave a small smile when the little Yamanaka said, "But don't worry about that anymore Haruno-san. From now on, I'll knock down anybody who tries to mess with my friend!"

"Really, we're friends?" Sakura gasped.

"Of course, why wouldn't we be?"

Sakura beamed happily and the blonde grinned back.

"Hey, come here. I want to give you something," Ino said and grabbed the girl by her healed hand a few distances away.

Kizashi watched them chatting animatedly. He stood up and sighed. He was aware that Sakura didn't have many friends but now blamed himself for not knowing what was actually going on with his daughter's social life until recently. She always seemed so happy at home. He promised himself that he would protect Sakura even more. He had been deathly worried when Inoichi had ran to him and told him that Sakura was in trouble. He had felt his heart dropped when the younger Yamanaka said Sakura was being chased and was running towards the village's main gate.

He had asked frantically towards the gate guards if they'd seen a small pink haired child running out of the village but they had told him no and assured him that if she did, they would know. But luckily, Ino had vehemently protested and said that she had really seen Sakura running towards this direction and believed that she might've passed the gates, no matter how well guarded it was. Inoichi had offered to look around the area and had went ahead, leaving a very angry Kizashi to deal with the guards.

Although the guards seem visibly shaken by his anger, they maintained their professionalism and insisted that every Konoha citizen, regardless of their situation and status, should follow protocol to enter and leave the village gates. Most ANBU take this rule lightly so Kizashi had decided to completely ignore the guards and moved to leave the village to search the outskirts perimeter. That was when he sensed two familiar chakras in the distance and soon, saw the figure of a man carrying his daughter.

He turned his head to regard the ANBU who was now leaning against a post while reading an orange book shamelessly. He smirked at the familiar scene. Although the younger man had only recently picked up this habit, it seems like he had been doing this all his life. The image of him with that perverted book was already cemented as his norm. It was an annoying habit but he understood that different people cope differently. Besides, he had enough of those 'icha icha series is literature' debate.

"Thank you for saving my daughter," Kizashi expressed his gratitude and bowed.

"Ah, you don't need to do that Captain. I only found her sitting on the ground."

Kizashi smirked and corrected him, "I'm not a Captain anymore. Those days are over. Just call me Kizashi."

The ANBU shrugged and nodded. Kizashi inwardly frowned, wondering if they had any conversation that he wouldn't like. He knew that his former subordinate wasn't much of a talker but he was as unpredictable as they come, no matter how well you think you know him.

Then, Sakura came running towards them yelling, "Daddy, daddy, look!"

She skidded to a stop in front of him and pointed to her head that was now adorned with a red ribbon. Her forehead that was always hidden beneath her bangs was now bared.

"Very pretty, Sakura-chan!" He complimented with a grin.

"Um… you don't think that it makes my forehead look bigger?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"But it's so big, see?" She showed him her stretched fingers after measuring her forehead that was admittedly, slightly larger than most.

Kizashi did the same with his own fingers, looked at the small space in between and said, "Looks pretty small to me. Your fingers are too short, Sakura-chan."

"Really? It looks okay?" She then turned to the masked person and asked, "What do you think ANBU-san?"

Caught off-guard by the question, he stared at her hopeful doe eyes and then to her forehead. Insecurities about a large forehead, huh? To be honest, she should more be concerned about her training especially since she's already started the academy almost as young as he was. But little girls are different, he supposed.

"Ah, you look cute."

She beamed and then giggled before turning towards Ino who had come to join her exclaiming, "You're right, Ino. You're right!"

"Of course, I am! Besides, the main point is to be confident!"

"That's very true, Sakura-chan." Inoichi said as he approached them, having finished dealing with the traumatized gate guards. Let it be a lesson to everyone that a worried father, who was also a formidable former ANBU Captain, should never be angered.

He then smiled at Sakura, the question of how a tiny kid even smaller than his own could bypass two Chuunin levelled guards so easily lingering at the back of his head.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," she nodded firmly, eyes blazing with determination.

"Ah, I guess I should go now. Hokage-sama should be expecting me."

"Go ahead."

The ANBU nodded and then disappeared from sight with a trail of smoke.

"Cool!" Both girls exclaimed simultaneously and giggled.

The two Yamanaka soon retreated with a wave and a promise of a playdate from the younger blonde, leaving the pink haired father daughter duo. Sakura was humming happily while Kizashi occupied himself with his thoughts.

"Sakura-chan, I was very worried today."

Sakura stopped her humming and then lifted her head up to stare guiltily at her father.

"I'm really sorry. I promise I won't go beyond the gates again."

"No, one day you will be able to leave the gates once you are a kunoichi. I don't want to trap you inside," Kizashi sighed, worried that Sakura might perceive this issue the other way around.

"What I meant was, I'm worried about you. I know that I'm not always there to watch after you and it was my mistake to not notice that you were having problems with your friends. How come you never mentioned it to me before?"

"Because I never noticed. I always have Naruto," she told him, being half truthful. It was true. Naruto was usually always there for her and she never noticed she was being bullied until recently. Although she always knew people didn't like being around her.

Kizashi nodded. He didn't know how other parents usually deal with this kind of things, but with Sakura, he always made sure that she knows what he thinks about certain matters and would in turn listen to her perspective through a child's pair of eyes. It wasn't easy, and he often loses his temper and worry incessantly.

"But now I have Ino! And she told me we're going to play with her other friends at the playground tomorrow. I met them once and they're really nice," she told him with a wide exuberant smile.

"Why didn't you play with them before?"

"They haven't started the academy yet so our playtime is different. Besides…" she began to mumble something but Kizashi managed to catch her words. Turns out his daughter is a lot shyer than he thought she was.

He also knew of course that with her strict schedule and her own heavy interest with studying, she would miss a lot of playtime consequently limiting herself of social interactions with kids her age. This would never be a problem if the council hadn't insisted that she skipped a couple of grades and had allowed her a normal childhood like he had wanted but his hands were tied. He was after all, only a first-generation shinobi with no influential powers. It was one of the reason why he was motivated to become ANBU in the first place but it hadn't been enough. While it offered him significant credentials, the clan system within Konoha prevented him from having any real say in Konoha's politics.

He was snapped out of his sullen thoughts when he felt a tug on his shirt. He looked down and saw Sakura smiling at him.

"Don't worry, daddy. I'll be alright."

He nodded and ruffled her hair. Of course she will. He'll make sure of it from now on.

"By the way, did you know I came in first in the written exam? I found out today! I got 90 points!"

"Good job, blossom! On which subject?"

"History, and I also got 92 points for math!"

"That's amazing! I don't know how you're so good. When I was in the academy, I failed my mathematics test so many times I lost count!"

Sakura giggled and went on to tell him about some theories and algorithm that he couldn't keep up with and was not sure if kids her age should be studying. He listened and nodded anyway. Kizashi thought himself as intelligent but he was sure when he was her age, he was busy throwing mud pies at girls, happily not involving in anything scholastic. Sakura obviously took after Mebuki, because the first time he threw a mud pie at her, she was reading a book.

He smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

Haruno

 **Chapter 5**

Class ended exceptionally early today. An Aburame kid had snuck in a small colony of super stink bugs and had accidentally set them loose. The result was somewhat chaotic, as many children began to choke and cry from the incredibly bad smell. Sakura thought that it smelt like a thousand copies of Naruto had farted simultaneously. It was no wonder that most of the Inuzuka kids had passed out since they had a heightened sense of smell. Sakura felt bad for them as she watched the adults carry their limp bodies out of the academy and rushed to seal the place.

She stood on her tippy toes and craned her neck trying to find her friends in the sea of buzzing academy students. She saw a familiar spiky blond head and made to call him but was cut off when Iruka-sensei ushered them into several lines according to their grade and classes. A role call was carried out and when everyone was accounted for, Iruka-sensei told them that they were free to go but with a warning to stay out of the area. They were also told that Genin would deliver news to their house with information of when they will be able to return to school. Some parents were already present to take their children back home, looking torn between being worried and amused.

A girl with two buns called Tenten tapped Sakura's shoulder before waving her goodbye, yelling excitedly over her shoulders that she was going to go to her father's workshop to help her uncle. Sakura just laughed because out of all the girls she knew, Tenten was the only girl who'd willingly help-out at a blacksmith's workshop. She was also different because she was the first person in the academy to offer her friendship to Sakura.

This year was supposed to be Sakura's third (lonely) year in the academy, but she had failed her physical test and was unable to continue into her Grade 3 of study. It had been very upsetting for Sakura but she had always been struggling in the physical and health classes because of her underdeveloped body and chakra network. Instead, she remained in Grade 2 and had met Tenten. Tenten is a year older than her and she was the friendliest girl Sakura had ever met. They're not quite best friends but they seat together in class. Sakura was glad she failed last year because meeting Tenten had been the next best thing after Naruto and Ino.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Hey, Sakura-chan. Over here!"

Sakura turned and immediately spotted two familiar blondes making their way towards her. She beamed and met them halfway. She clasped hands with Ino and opened her mouth to say something to Naruto but stopped when she saw Ino's father approaching.

"Hello, Yamanaka-san." Sakura and Naruto chorused when the man greeted them. Ino made a fuss of wanting to go to play but Yamanaka-san insisted that she uses the free time to study botany at their flower store. Ino threw her trademark little tantrum before grudgingly grabbing her father's hand and followed him home leaving Sakura and Naruto.

The troublemaker duo decided to go and play since their parents were undoubtedly busy with work. Naruto chattered happily as they walked exclaiming that it was a good thing that the "Super Stink Bug Tragedy" happened because he had forgotten about his assignment paper on the history of Konoha today. He claimed that he had already finished the whole thing, having written exactly one page of it but had accidentally left it at home. Sakura doubted it. He probably hadn't even written a single word and was simply making excuses. It was typical of Naruto to forget or completely disregard his homework.

"No, really. I really did do my homework this time, Sakura-chan!"

"Oh yeah? Then tell me who was the founders of Konoha," Sakura challenged.

He flinched and then gulped, eyes looking around wildly for inspiration (of an escape route). Sakura frowned in disapproval, not liking that Naruto was lying about his school work, again. She inhaled and prepared herself to chastise the naughty blond but was surprised when Naruto suddenly pointed towards a direction and yelled, "Teme!"

Sakura turned her head to follow his grubby finger and was instantly curious when her green eyes landed on the sight of a black-haired boy. He looked like an academy student, just like them. The boy didn't seem to hear Naruto (which she thought was weird because Naruto's loud voice could travel all the way to Suna) and proceeded to walk away from them albeit at a suddenly brisk pace.

"Oi, teme!" Naruto yelled again and Sakura wanted to hit him for being both loud and rude. Before she could though, Naruto had started tugging her exclaiming that they needed to run to catch up to that 'stuck up, bastard of a royal highness'.

The pink haired girl resisted at first, not understanding why Naruto insisted on meeting that boy when they had agreed earlier to go to the nearest lake so that Sakura could show off her newly acquired water walking skill. All of a sudden, they were running trying to keep up with the mysterious kid that Naruto was so adamantly trying to talk to. He had suddenly shot off like a cat being approached by strangers.

Naruto bolted right after him, urging Sakura to run faster and faster. They crossed the small field and into the main road. As swift as academy children can, they navigated their way around the pedestrians and moving fruit carts – with Sakura scaling the wall to hop on the roof to take the ninja highway. When she saw Naruto swerving a sharp right, she leapt off a balcony and landed with a roll a few paces behind her blond friend. She panted and saw a black streak in front of them, immediately identifying it as the boy they were chasing (and for what reason, she had no idea).

She heard Naruto yelling for him to stop but was ignored. They turned and entered an alleyway with a dead end. The Namikaze let out a triumphant shout thinking that they finally had him cornered but sputtered unbelievingly when the boy easily leaped to the side of the wall and used the momentum to kick off to the other side of the wall and finally, over the tall barrier.

"Damn it, teme!"

"Naruto, language!" Sakura scolded him despite panting from exertion. The blond ignored her though and tried to copy the 'teme' but failed miserably, falling flat on his face before his feet could even reach the opposite wall. Normally he could manage it but the alleyway was not so narrow and the gap between the walls was wide.

Sakura thought that the boy must've used chakra in order to gain momentum which was pretty cool since there aren't many kids their age who knew how to use their chakra. Instead of doing the same method, she simply placed her feet on the wall blocking them and started to climb upwards since she had lost her speed by stopping just now.

"But what about me Sakura-chan?!"

"Jump from the trash can and I'll pull you up!" She replied.

He immediately did as he was told once Sakura had reached the top. She grunted trying to pull Naruto's weight up. He was so heavy that she thought her arms would fall off. Someone really needed to lay off the ramen, she thought. Once they jumped down, they turned their heads around this way and that looking for signs of where this 'teme' had taken off to.

"This way!" Naruto exclaimed, spotting a small body with a familiar clan crest on his back some distance away walking leisurely. "Follow me!"

Hearing Naruto's deafening shout, the boy turned and upon realizing who it was, quickly ran away again.

Sakura huffed and sped up when she realized that Naruto had taken off without waiting for her. They raced past the villagers – Sakura throwing out hasty apologies behind her shoulders at the irritated people they bumped or crashed into – and steered out of the main road and into a smaller dirt path. She realized that they were heading towards the lake, the one she and Naruto had been planning on going to.

Sakura had started to slow down, feeling too tired from all the running especially since she had taijutsu class just this morning. She watched however, as Naruto gained speed and shorten the distance between them. Once he was near enough, he jumped at the boy and she saw them tumbling down the small hill where the lake lay at the bottom of it.

The pink haired Haruno stood at the top of the hill watching the two boys wrestle for a bit before the unknown black-haired boy threw the boisterous Naruto off him. He quickly stood up and dusted the dirt and grass off his no longer pristine clothes. Naruto simply grinned and yelled for Sakura to come down as he excitedly jumped up and down for successfully catching his friend.

"Hah, you can never escape the great Namikaze Naruto!"

"Shut up, stupid."

She heard them bicker and slowly approached them, feeling a little unsure. While Naruto looked excited and happy, his friend didn't. He was scowling and glaring daggers at Naruto who seemed oblivious to the annoyed… who was that boy? She has never seen him around before.

Although she's never met him before, Sakura immediately felt herself wanting to know him. Something inside her suddenly felt very giddy and shy at the thought of having to meet a new friend of Naruto. He was very nice looking. He had black hair that was fashioned in a spiky disorder but still looked good with the way it framed his fair round face. His eyes were as black as his hair and he stood a little taller than the blond which meant he was probably around her height. She thought he looked very cute in his navy-blue shirt, khaki shorts and a canvas sling bag slung about his shoulder. Very stylish.

"Anyway, teme. You've gotta meet her! Sakura-chan, say hello to bastard-chan!"

Sakura giggled nervously and wiped the sweat that was running down her forehead. She felt annoyed that the Namikaze hadn't bothered to use his friend's proper name and mentally reminded herself to smack him up the head before returning home.

"Hi, I'm Haruno Sakura," she introduced herself timidly, feeling a weird heat rushing up her face that wasn't the result of the little chase prior.

The boy turned to look at her and she dropped her gaze downwards feeling shy from his stare. He then scoffed and said,

"Tch, playing with girls again dobe?"

Sakura blinked, a little surprised by his statement.

"Eh, what's that supposed to mean?" Naruto replied indignantly.

The boy shrugged and made to walk away but the stubborn blond grabbed him by the elbow and exclaimed, "Hey, don't be such a bore. Come play with us! Sakura-chan was about t–"

"I don't want to play with girls," he sneered and pulled himself away from Naruto before continuing, "You can play with her but I won't. Geez, you're so stupid."

Sakura was stumped. She was used to being rejected from being friends with some people but it was the first time that she was rejected for being a girl. For some reason, it hurt her and a little bit more so because it came from the cute boy that she was starting to like.

"Oi, what's so stupid? I think Sakura-chan's amazing!"

"You think that because you're dumb," he shot back.

"Take that back, teme. And apologize to Sakura-chan!"

"Dobe, I don't have time for this. I'm going home so I can train with my brother," the boy said and turned. Naruto grabbed him again but he shrugged the persistent blond off with a scowl that Sakura thought looked really adorable even though he was angry.

"Get off me, loser. Go do something productive like training or something. Not playing around with girls!" The black-haired boy huffed.

"Well, we were going to train," Naruto snorted.

"Yeah, right."

"Bet you would be shock about what we're about to do," Naruto challenged the boy to which he indignantly replied, "Bet I won't!"

"Bet you will!"

"Bet I won't!" He suddenly dropped his bag and then walked to the small jetty before glancing back to the two friends and smugly claimed, "You know why? Because I can do this!"

Sakura's eyes almost bulged out of her sockets when she saw the kid forming seals. No way was he going to do a jutsu! She watched with her mouth open when he started to inhale deeply until his cheeks were puffed up. He positioned his hand in front of his mouth like a funnel and aimed towards the lake. Both Sakura and Naruto watched apprehensively at the dark-haired boy as suspicious sparks of heat emanated from his mouth.

A few suspenseful seconds later, a stream of fire burst out of his lungs and towards the span of the lake. Sakura was shocked. That boy was breathing fire! She covered her face with her arms to shield from the heat while Naruto shouted in awe. That was how she knew how real the boy's jutsu was. The fire was hot and burning as it streamed out of the boy's lungs relentlessly. The surface of the lake bubbled as if it was boiling from the heat above it. It wasn't very long after, only several seconds later in fact, that the fire slowed down and disappeared.

Sakura lowered her arms and saw that the boy was panting but a satisfied smirk was on his face. Naruto was sputtering in disbelief while she just stared dumbfounded at the boy.

"Well?" The boy smirked.

"That – that was – how did you – but you – what!" Naruto was clutching his hair at this point, not comprehending how his seven-year-old friend could already perform a Katon jutsu. They were in the same class but he was already miles ahead of him. Ninjutsu was taught in the second year of the academy and they had just both started! And Naruto wasn't even sure if they teach that kind of jutsu in the academy.

"I thought so," he snorted.

"How did you do that, Uchiha-kun?" Sakura asked, finally able to recognize the boy, or at least, his clan. They were famous after all.

The young Uchiha finally looked at her again. He hadn't acknowledged her when Naruto tried to introduce her to him a while ago. Sakura felt herself flush when being under his scrutiny again and shyly hid her face underneath her bangs. She was glad that her ribbon was in the wash today. She suddenly felt so shy.

"Hn."

He didn't answer and only grabbed his bag. Sakura noticed that he was still breathing heavily. The jutsu must've been very hard to perform but he coolly slung his bag over his shoulders and walked away with one hand in his pocket.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Naruto shouted, finally able to overcome his disbelief.

"I'm going to go train with my brother," the Uchiha boy said and as an afterthought added, "Unless you have something to show me?"

"Don't get so cocky, teme! That was only one jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly, feeling challenged by the boy.

"One jutsu is enough to roast you, dobe," the boy said and left the two to stare at his back.

"That butthole. What a show off…" Naruto mumbled and crossed his arms as he pouted.

"Naruto…"

"Ah, Sakura-chan! Don't listen to what he says! He doesn't mean that. He's just a loser who doesn't know how to have fun," he waved his arms around frantically after seeing Sakura looking uncomfortable. "Besides, you're wayyyy awesomer than him. We'll show him next time just how awesome you are!"

Sakura definitely wanted a next time so she could see him again, staring at the retreating back of the boy that was kind of mean but really cute. She stared at the red and white symbol of the uchiwa fan on navy blue shirt as it slowly disappears, wondering when she would be able to see him again. She would like a second chance to give him a good impression on herself so they can be friends. Maybe then he would like her just as she liked him.

Sakura was baffled at how he could perform a jutsu. She knew that ninjutsu classes were taught but some ninja clans are more advanced than others. That's probably how the Uchiha boy knew how to do a Katon since most fire style jutsu are B-ranked and above.

Sakura had only begun learning to do the henge (transformation technique), an E-rank jutsu and though successful on her first few tries, never had the opportunity to learn other jutsu except the clone jutsu. She was already ahead of everyone else since they were still learning chakra manipulation. Sakura was lucky that she knew how to control and manipulate her chakra, something that was apparently very hard to do. She was only having trouble with her taijutsu classes to the point of failing but it wasn't something she was incredibly sad with since she enjoyed focusing on her other classes and playing mostly. However, she never really tried to improve her training and up until now, didn't realize that knowing advanced ninjutsu would be super cool.

And that Uchiha boy is sooooooo cool.

Maybe the academy instructor would teach her more ninjutsu but first, she needed to improve her taijutsu and overall physical capabilities. That was what they all kept recommending to her anyway. Besides, she wouldn't be able to advance classes with Tenten if she can't keep up!

"I'm going home," Sakura suddenly declared and quickly turned the opposite way in the direction of her house.

"Eh, why? I thought you were going to show me how to walk on water. And we're already here!" Naruto spread his arms towards the lake.

"I know, but I wanna go home and train," she told him, taking a leaf out of the cute boy's book. He seemed like a hardworking person who likes to train and if she wants to impress him maybe she should train as well.

"But aren't we going to train now?"

"No, Naruto. We were going to play. I was going to show you my water walk and you were going to jump into the lake for a swim and splash water at me until I'm all wet," she retorted.

"That sure sounds like fun!" His grin turned upside down quickly when Sakura strode past him. "Aw, come on Sakura-chan! Pleaseeeeeee!"

"No, Naruto. I'm going home. You can go play on your own," she told him.

Sakura halted to a stop when she was reminded of something to do before she leaves. She turned and smacked Naruto up the head. After a small 'stop being rude' lecture, she proceeded on her way ignoring his loud "OUCH!" and grumbling. As she walked home, she wonders about the new boy she just met today. She didn't understand why he didn't want to play with her. A little bit later, she realized that she also didn't catch his name. Naruto didn't bother to use his actual name, preferring to call him with rude terms instead and he didn't introduce himself either. Maybe he forgot to. She wonders what his name was.

Oh well, she can ask Naruto tomorrow.

* * *

Sakura's Academy Report Card

Name : Sakura Haruno

Year : 2

Student ID : 012601

Sex : F

Class rank : 5/35

Status : Fail

Subjects

Mathematics : A+

Science : A+

History : A+

Geography : A+

Japanese : A+

Bukijutsu : F

Taijutsu : F

Ninjutsu : A+

Genjutsu : A+

Kunoichi classes: B-

* * *

"Ah, well. Konoha wasn't built in a day", Kizashi said as he watches his little daughter cutely throwing punches in the air in their yard.

He remembered receiving her report card last academy year, spending half of the day jumping in joy and the other half mourning his lack of ability to help her improve her performance. Sakura failing meant less attention from the council – he was hoping that they would finally be convinced that his daughter was not suitable as a tiny super genius ninja that they were hoping for her to be. But that also meant she wasn't doing well in her classes.

Seeing Sakura takes a wrong step in the academy kata routine and tumbling down as a result, Kizashi got down from his perch on the balcony and went to help his daughter. The little pink haired girl giggled and immediately got up and assumed position to mimic her father for the correct stance and steps. She wanted to show Uchiha-kun just how good she can be.


End file.
